The Blacklist Episode (1×17) Review – “Ivan”

The Truth About Tom Finally Came Out on This Week’s Episode of The Blacklist

This week’s episode of The Blacklisthad the team chasing after a teenaged cyber terrorist, but the real story was about Liz discovering the truth about her husband. All season long Tom has been under suspicion, but it was killing Lance Reddick and fellow spy Jolene Parker/Lucy Brooks that got Tom caught. Finally the moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally happened, and it will be great to see what Liz does now that she finally knows the truth. While this plot point was fantastic, the main story of the lovesick hacker was a complete waste of time. So let’s discuss episode 117, “Ivan.”

“My job isn’t to settle your grudges.” The Blacklister of the Week (#88) was cyber terrorist “Ivan,” a man who liked to go after the Russian government. This guy was crazy enough to steal $5 million from Red, but it turned out he wasn’t crazy enough to kill an NSA agent and steal a weapon from the US government. Who was so stupid? A teen named Harrison Lee who wanted the “Skeleton Key” to help him woo a fellow student in the hopes she would return his love. He didn’t, and in the process of trying to get her attention he accidentally killed NSA Operative Nathan Platt and put national security at risk. This story might have worked if it wasn’t paired with the big Tom/Liz reveal. However, with the other more interesting and long-awaited story on hand to be woven throughout the episode, it was hard to focus on this lame Blacklister. Boys murder, theft, and creepy stalkerish behavior are never a turn on, so if you’re interested in a lady, buy her flowers. (More…)